"office" news and stories

After successfully promoting the supper club trend that has become so popular in the past could of years, Cooking Light highlighted a new concept in this month's issue of the magazine.

Many people who work outside of their homes eat lunch out almost every day. The days that they don’t eat out they are as likely to grab a candy bar and a bag of chips out of the hall vending machine as they are to have brought something from home. Beyond a peanut butter sandwich, sometimes it can seem daunting to prepare a whole meal in the morning before you leave for work. The concept of the lunch club is that different people bring in foods on different days of the month, dividing up the cooking duties but still providing everyone in the office (who wants to participate) with a full, healthy lunch.

 

Even though earlier reports said that junk food boosted productivity in the office, it now appears that a healthy diet is they key to a busy, productive employee. The availability of sugary snacks did cause employees to work longer hours, but the same foods also made employees sluggish. Longer hours might have been necessary to compensate for a loss of productivity due to inattention or lack of energy.  In addition, a diet high in fat and sugar can potentially increase the risk of obesity and diabetes, leading to an increased risk for other diseases and missed work time. Overweight workers are twice as likely to miss work as their fitter colleagues. Companies that have implemented a program of offering healthy snacks and subsidizing gym memberships have healthier employees. The employees, along with good health, also receive a big boost to morale. After 6 months of access to healthy snacks and activities, workers experienced a drop in cholesterol as well as a drop in the proteins that are indicators of possible heart disease. Happier and healthier employees work more efficiently and accomplish more and it starts with offering apples and oranges instead of donuts in the morning. That's definitely food for thought for employers.

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For employers, it pays to keep sugary, fatty sweets around the office. They don't even have to be good sweets, as almost anything left in an office break room will be consumed very quickly by hungry coworkers. But experts are saying that employees who have access to junk food through a vending machine or office refrigerator will work more hours each day. If a snack like donuts is put out in the morning, employees will regularly begin showing up earlier. Sugar also increases alertness and boosts productivity. Automated Merchandiser, an industry vending machine publication, has picked up on this story and is using it as a selling point to boost in-office sales.

To protect your waistline, it is best to bring snacks from home for eating in the office. A piece of birthday cake once in a while is fine, but when you're having two donuts and a Twinkie for breakfast, it's time to cut back.

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